Highland park distillery is found on the island of Orkney, the 18yo release is part of the core range and is thought of by many as a favourite. Bottled at 43%  you can’t help but think it could be a little stronger.

Nose..  It starts with a lovely fresh fruity aroma, oranges and pears,  then you get a subtle heather and floral scent that massages your nostrils, before long that typical highland park smoke comes trickling in.

Palate..  It has a really nice mouth feel, waves of  fresh fruit, lots of citrus peel, vanilla and toffee, you also get spices flooding in like ginger and  cinnamon, coffee notes and a bitter chocolate flavour.

Finish.. I found the finish faded  out rather quicker than I expected  yes you keep the taste of the smoke but not whisky.. Maybe I am missing something. ( re visited..) the finish was much better, more of what I expected, lingering spices and fruity notes.

Thoughts..  It is  a lovely drinking whisky, fairly  complex, with lots of depth. a great example of what highland park is all about..